Mount Takao or Mount Fuji? One You Decide on the Morning, the Other Before You Book the Flight
Two mountains near Tokyo, compared by the only thing that actually separates them: how far in advance you have to decide.
Mount Takao or Kamakura? One Is a Climb With a Temple, the Other Is Temples With a Walk
Both have old temples an hour from Tokyo, so every guide tells you to do both. Here is the difference that actually decides your day, measured on foot.
Mount Takao or Mount Mitake? I Have Walked Both, and the Answer Is Not About Difficulty
Two mountains, an easy train ride from Shinjuku, both with a cable car. Not which one is better, but which one fits the day you have. Measured on both.
Mount Mitake: The Hike You Decide After You Arrive
A cable car lifts you to 831 metres on Mount Mitake. Everything above that is a choice. Here is the whole day, measured: three decisions and three plans.
Mount Mitake to Mount Hinode: The Fork in the Village Is a Clock, Not a Map
From the fork in the village on Mount Mitake it is two hours to Mount Hinode and a hot spring. The one time to remember, and what the sign omits.
Musashi Mitake Shrine: A Wolf Deity, Dogs at the Water Basin, and No Instructions Anywhere
The deity here is a wolf, so dogs come to pray as well. Nothing at this mountaintop shrine tells you how to worship, in any language. Here is what to do.
How to Get to Mount Mitake: The Bus, the Cable Car, and the One-Way Ticket
Mitake Station to 831 metres takes 40 minutes, of which only fourteen involve moving. Fares, both timetables, and why a return ticket saves you nothing.
How to Ride a Japanese Bus to a Trailhead: The Rules Change Outside Tokyo
Country buses in Japan work backwards. You board at the middle door and pay when you get off, because the fare depends on where you got on.
Mount Mitake Rock Garden: The Hardest Part Is Optional
The Rock Garden loop on Mount Mitake takes 1 hour 34 minutes, measured. The steepest section is a spur you can skip, and the day before matters.
Mount Takao and Lake Sagami: The Traverse, and Why You Should Walk It Backwards
Everyone walks this ridge from Mount Takao down to Lake Sagami. Walk it the other way: the quiet climb first, the famous summit after the crowds.